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“The first step to turning your life into art is to start paying more attention to it.” – Austin Cleon, author continue
This happens often throughout my day. Stopping, looking up at the sky, watching its brilliant blue or the arrival of the moon to take its current shape, or learning what Mother Nature has in store for us, what weather to predict and how to dress to best enjoy the outdoors.
One of the reasons I moved to Bend, Oregon was to gain the ability to enjoy more frequent time with Mother Nature. I have always found in his company a constant source of comfort, nourishment and inspiration. By paying attention to that, Mother Nature, sheds light on a helpful lesson about how to travel for the desired progression of both experiences, while simultaneously savoring the journey of life: Persistence is powerful.
“Staying with the same (purpose) creates enough space for rest and reflection—and thus for self-discovery—allowing us to maintain and appreciate what we have instead of always chasing more.” – Anne-Laure Le Kanoff, author Small Experiments: How to Live Independently in a Goal-Obsessed World
It’s important to remember that being static doesn’t mean we aren’t flexible. Rather, we may move ever so slightly or significantly, but our lighthouse, the general direction, is clearly known. Yet, like a willow tree blowing in the wind, we notice the movement of the wind rather than ignore it, yet remain firmly rooted in our clarity. Our awareness of change is crucial to understanding how to adjust without uprooting completely.
What helps us understand how to move enough to keep our roots from breaking is determined by what we pay attention to.
“For anyone trying to figure out what to do with their life: focus on what you want to focus on. This is all the information you need.” -Amy Krause Rosenthal
We talk about this often here at TSLL, living a contented life offers the gift of feeling at ease even when the world feels anything but peaceful. It is possible and it does not reflect indifference. After all, how can we strengthen world peace if we don’t know how to find peace within ourselves? It all comes down to our focus, where we put our attention.
“My experience is what I am willing to pay attention to. The only item that I am notice The structure of my mind.” -William James, psychologist
Sometimes, life responsibilities – work or personal – where we find ourselves at the moment dictates where our attention should be placed. But we are not stones. We can make choices today that will change our tomorrow. This is how we move, but our direction of travel does not shift if our clarity about where we are going and what we want to cultivate remains unchanged.
If our intention is to engage in a lifestyle that nourishes us, but we discover that some of the decisions we’ve made distract us from our ability to do so, perseverance comes into our lives in the form of refusing to let go of what we know. And because it makes us come alive, we instead shift to other details of life that need to be done. We find out where those changes need to be made by paying attention to our lives.
“To pay attention, it is our endless and proper work.” – Mary Oliver
I can remember dreaming of living in a cottage-like home in my mind’s eye and wanting the opportunity to create a home that delighted my senses, nourished my being, and, as a result, felt like my personal nest. Nothing big, nothing big, but a home, a sanctuary tended with time and attention that gradually transformed into a vision that was not visually evident at the time, only conceptually. This was before butterfly Never crossed my path.
Perseverance comes from speaking to you instinctively and not getting discouraged, and letting go of how it happens brings peace to our journey, so we can enjoy the road that will eventually lead us there.
“If you want to change your life, change what you focus on.”– Austin Cleon
When we focus on the present moment, noticing how the day is filled with so much to appreciate and tending to enhance it with the details we thoughtfully create, the journey becomes a joy to live. We focus on what we can change and let go of what we can’t. Doing the opposite is a fool’s recipe for living and suffering the consequences. Suffering that is absolutely, 100% avoidable.
“When you pay attention to your life … it helps you fall in love with your life.” – Austin Cleon
By paying attention to what is within our control and making bold decisions that improve its quality, we build a life, as Austin Kleon says, that we love. And our love for life naturally makes us want to deeply enjoy the present moment. It becomes our modus operandi with our way of life, a cycle of endless nourishment of peace. Finally, we find ours butterfly – What we discover as we build a life of contentment, and in the case of the cottage I call home, begin to customize and tailor to our home-making tastes, but we don’t rush that process either. We rejoice in the decisions we need to make, we trust our timeline, and we enjoy where we are while being clear about where we’re going.
“Tell me what you care about and I’ll tell you who you are.” —Jose Ortega y Gasset
So today, think about what you focus on because you can choose. Why not choose to rest your attention on the details of life that enrich your life? Some of these things will only be admired, much like the moon in the sky, because we cannot control the moon or its cycles. Others will honestly assess how to take better care of what is in our control, and yet others will still let go and change how we relate to it or to those we love.
May the beginning of this new week give you the courage to choose wisely for yourself a life of peace and nourishment. sister journey
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